Dragon and Tiger
by Isame Kuroda
Summary: Where would you go after you had reached the end? How about going back to the begining?
1. Chapter 0

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Any concept you d****id ****not recognise****d ****may or may not belong to me, however.**

**Not Beta.**

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><p>0.<p>

Prologue

Today was July 15.

Kurosaki Masaki looked worn out and tired; beads of sweat rolling down her temple, but she was pleased nonetheless. Her full, red lips turned up into a beautiful smile, bringing warmth to the sterile white, hospital room she occupied, and her honey-coloured eyes were alight with happiness, as she stared at the bundle of joy sleeping peacefully in her arms.

Kurosaki Ichigo, the baby boy was no more than 5 hours old, so small; he could fit his little head in his palm and crush it in his fist as if it was nothing.

It was hard to relate this tiny, fragile creature with the protector he was — would be, in the future. The man — no, the teenager that had transcended the boundaries of Human, Shinigami and Hollow and more, he who challenged a demi-god and came out of it victorious, all for the sake of protecting his friends and family.

There was a knock on the other side of the door, Masaki looked up and her brilliant smile was greeted by a big grin of her husband. The former Shinigami Captain looked younger without his shadow of a beard, and was neater in appearance, though still not up to his personal standard. Kurosaki Isshin leaned down and, with a voice so full of pride, said hello to his son before cooing over him, inviting a small twist of the corner of his mouth.

Indeed, it was so hard to relate this innocent child with the battle-hardened man that he had came to admire. The war had forced both of them to grow before their time; it was only natural that it happened. However, looking at this scene made him wished that things could go differently — and he will make sure that things would go differently this time. If not for himself, it was for Ichigo, he had sacrificed himself many times and suffered greatly for their sake, he ought to have his happiness instead of—

He closed his eyes, took a long deep breath and let them out slowly.

''What is wrong Masaki?'' Isshin's voice caused his eyes to snap open; he turned toward them to see the Shinigami turned his gaze, following his wife line of vision, to the corner near the window where he was standing.

He tried not to squirm as Masaki stared scrupulously for a moment too long to be comfortable, making him questioned the effectiveness of his concealment, before turning to her husband and said, ''It is nothing, I just a bit tire that is all,'' The statement was back up by the note of fatigue in her tone.

''Well, you should rest then, here, let me take Ichigo to his cradle.'' Isshin said, voice warmed and gentle, very different from the solemn tone he used when he decided to acted fatherly toward Ichigo. It was clear now, when Masaki died, she brought with her not only sweet, little Ichigo to the grave, but her husband as well.

If she lived, everything might have ended differently. Ichigo might not make himself a martyr — perhaps. Time travel was fickle thing after all, and if his plans fail, Masaki would ceased to be a significant figure in her son's life.

Isshin kissed little Ichigo on the head and placed him carefully on the cradle next to the bed Masaki was occupied, he kissed his wife deeply and bid his goodnight, switched off the light and stepped out, closing the door behind him, giving permission for the moon to bathe the room in its silver light.

He walked over toward the bed, breaking the silent that had reigned upon the room with his soft footstep. He placed his palm over Masaki's forehead and cast a minor sleeping spell, bringing her to a restful sleep, the last restful sleep she would ever have had in her entire life, he thought wryly, she will wake up with the sun, refresh and energized… and in complete agony once she find out what he did to her son.

He paused, then, after a moment of thought, he cast another spell for her health, and pray that she would not die early from shock. That, would be the opposite of what he wishes, and besides, he could not — not want to, imagine what kind of a man Isshin would become from such a blow.

''Please, worry yourself not.'' He whispered to her ear. ''I do this with Ichigo's well being in mind. I will take care of him, and I promise you on my pride, that he will grow up knowing you are his mother, someday, you two will meet again.''

Ichigo did not stir when he lifted him — unlike his future self, who woke up fully alert from just a slight breeze of movement.

With one last look to Masaki, he called the shadow and became one with the night.

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><p><strong>Thank you very much for reading! *bowed gratefully*<strong>

**English is not my native language, my Deepest ****Apologies ****for any incorrect grammar and tenses you find. Please tell me what you think.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Any concept you d****id ****not recognise****d****may or may not belong to me, however.**

**No Beta.**

* * *

><p>1.<p>

The rains did not fell heavily this evening; so, Yue could see the moon quiet clearly. However, the street below was completely obscured by a thick fog; it was so murky; it reminded him of the foam on the cappuccino that grandpa served to his customers at the shop, and making him felt as if he was standing above a cloud.

Hmm, that was an idea, he could make a lovely painting from that; Standing above the Cloud.

He scuttled on the bed, reaching to the nightstand and picked the sketchbook and pencil there, before returning back to the window. After checking that the tip of his pencil was sharp, he opened a fresh page and began to draw a rough sketch of the ocean of fluffy cloud — then, a pair of feet, and the blue skies, oh, and do not forget the space, he was standing above the stratosphere after all.

Yue paused, then, held the half-finish sketch at arm length, maybe, he should put a couple birds there, but what kind of avian that can survive flying neared the stratosphere? Yue frowned, putting the sketchbook on the bed; he leaned his side against the window and stared at the steam forming on the glass surface.

'Where are you now big brother?' He thought 'Do you keep your promise and see the sky tonight?' Probably not, he was bad at keeping promises. Sighing, Yue rested his chin against his folded arms, and looked out the window. Time sure flied really fast, when you were immersing yourself in your hobby; the fog on the street had grew thinner, giving ways to the light of the mercury lamps lining the both sides of the quiet road, though, it was faint, it was enough for the lone figure on the street to find its way — wait, what?

Yue's thoughts screeched to a halt, then, he did a double take. Brow furrowed, he opened the window and leaned out, a cold breeze blew in his face, ruffling his bangs and filling his lungs with a cool air, but he paid it no mind; all his attention was focused on the stranger on the street, walking through the rain in drunken gait. The light was too dim for him to see the stranger's face, but from what he could glimpsed from its silhouette; the stranger had his or her back hunched protectively over something he/she carried in his/her arms.

Was it only his imagination or did that stranger was letting a smoke out from his body?

Yue frowned, what did that person was doing outside in this late hour? Was he/she not aware that this town was dangerous during the night? He/she could be eaten by _Dame Pluie_ if he/she not careful.

'Or maybe,' Yue thought uneasily, his spines shuddered at the conclusion he drew. 'The stranger was the _Dame Pluie_ herself.'

The rational part of his mind made him reconsidered that assessment; the stranger could be a newcomer from out of town, so, he/she was not aware of the danger lurking in every corners of the Monsoon City.

Human or hostile spirit, he would not know if he did not check it — well, it would not hurt to check would it.

Leaning himself back, Yue closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out to the part of him that he rarely used, he opened his sixth sense, and reached out to the stranger, trying to figure out what he—

Yue cried out suddenly, and stumbled out of his narrow bed onto the hard floor with a loud thud, a sudden pressure like being hit by boulder slammed against his soul, making it hard for him to breathe. He hurriedly gathered his sixth sense and put it back on the metaphorical box at the back of his mind, the crushing sensation was immediately disappeared, and after a moment, Yue found he could breathe again.

What was that all about?

''Yue,'' A familiar, gruff voice rang from downstairs, followed by fast, heavy footsteps vibrated through the floorboard. He felt grandpa kneel down beside him; his two rough hands grabbed his shoulders and helped him to a sitting position. ''Are you okay?'' Grandpa inquired, his voice filled with concern.

Yue shook his head, still shaken from his experience; his thought kept circulating on the vast spirit energy that smother him and its source; it did not came from the man — the stranger was a man, judging from the strong Yang he managed to glimpse before getting crushed — but from something he held in his arms. Whatever it was, it was small… and in the midst of the vast, chaotic energy it emitted, Yue felt untainted innocent radiating from the being's tiny soul.

Tiny soul… a little spark of life that shone as bright as the northern star before it grew to become the sun. A blank canvas, ready to be painted with the colours of your choice, though, the end result was unpredictable.

Eyes widened with dawning horror, he turned to grandpa, ''Grandpa! You have to help them!'' He demanded. The older man gave him a puzzle look, which turned wary when he explained what the situation was. Yue turned to the window, anxious welling up inside him, the more time they spent sitting idle, the farther the man was from this place. They could not let them out there in this unfriendly weather — especially the baby, no matter how strong his soul power was, he was still a fragile little thing, in fact, it was even more dangerous; what if they meet those Empty, Masked Monsters? The baby's father did not felt well enough to protect his boy.

Wait, how, long had they been walking in the open air?

Yue got up to his feet, and ran through his bedroom door to the hallway; he descended the staircase to the first floor, and was about to open the front door and run outside, when a big, callused hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping his step.

Yue looked over his shoulder ''Grandpa…?''

''You will catch a cold if you go outside, wait here.'' Grandpa said before gently pushing away from the door. As he watched grandpa stepping through the front door into the rain, Yue realised, long after grandpa had disappeared into the night that he forgot to tell him the direction the stranger was going.

TTT

He had to get out of the rain — fast.

Despite the men-made pollution had diluted the rain purifying attribute, it was still 'pure' enough to weaken him. 'The cold weather was not good for Ichigo's health either.' He thought; adjusting the reiatsu-concealing cloak he had wrapped around Ichigo, both to keep the baby warmed and hidden his presence from the hollows.

He had killed more than a dozen hollow chasing on their heels, drawn to Ichigo's high-level reiatsu like a mouth to a lamp, before making a hasty escape out of Japan — despite their incompetency, the Shinigami would not ignored an anomaly of so many hollows coming out at once only to disappear in almost the next second. If they did ignore it, Aizen would surely not. That Megalomaniac must have noticed by now, that Ichigo was missing, and had no doubt, was doing everything he can to find Ichigo, his little science project. Thinking about it made him wanted to vomit; or was it the effect of rain-induced exhaustion that made him ill? He wondered how the Kurosaki handled this problem… which made him wondered why he even wondered in the first place; the answer was plain to see: Urahara Kisuke.

The last of his strength finally gave up on him, and he barely managed not to fell on his face; his knees collided against the asphalt, rattling his bones and sending tremors all the way to his head. He gritted his teeth; he needed to find shelter fast.

''Sir!''

He jerked up at the voice, muscles rigid with tension; over the rhythmical patters, he picked up the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind, and yet, his spiritual sense felt nothing of the person's reiryoku. Uneasy feeling settled down in his stomach, he always prided his keen ability to sense others without fail. No matter how skilled they were in hiding their presences, he could always sense them, so who, — what manner of creature could possibly be hiding its presence so completely…?

He was not in a fit condition to defend himself and Ichigo, but if the being were coming with the intention to harm them, he would not back down without a fight — he never did. A logical part of his mind then pointed out that, whatever it was, if its possessed harmful intention; it could just sneaked up on them and be done with it, instead of shouting for the entire town to hear.

Another part of him that had grown weary from years of battle, argued; it was not the first time they had encountered enemies who enjoyed toying with their victim; drawing them to false sense of security only to deal a blow in the most unexpected way.

The voice called out to him again, interrupting his internal debate. Warily, he looked over his shoulder.

He blinked.

In the list of things he had been expecting to meet, this was not one of it. ''You are a kid.'' He blurted out, rather dumbly, as the boy stopped next to him, and held out the umbrella he carried over his and Ichigo's bodies, shielding the two from the cold, merciless shower.

''Sir, my house are three blocks from here, can you walk?'' The boy inquired in a voice high from youth. He studied the other's profile; the boy was no older than 12, lack of presence aside, he seemed harmless; sickly even, the see-through raincoat looked oversized in his lanky form, and his sky blue eyes held nothing but honest concern in his direction, but can he trust the boy?

Suddenly, Ichigo stirred in his arms before making a small, keening noise — he made his decision.

TTT

The boy led them to a coffee shop; the only building on the entire block that had its light on. The interior was warmed and welcoming, and the heater did wonder to his cold skin, though, he needed more than heat to restore his strength, a need that he could not fulfil at the moment, beside, he had Ichigo to attend too, the baby had since grew restless on their journey here, and was now crying loudly.

''He must be hungry.'' He turned to the front door, where stood an old, portly man; drenched from head to toe. Unlike the boy, he could sense the old man's aura, which easy his heart somewhat, and now, it was radiating with exasperation as he directed a semi reproachful look toward the boy next to him.

''Grandpa,'' The boy whispered, ducking his head under his collar.

The old man shook his head. ''Go change your clothes.''

The boy nodded meekly, and disappeared through the door at the corner of the room. The old man turned to him and gave him a look of appraisal before walking passed him to the back of the counter table, and retrieved a jar filled with amber liquid from the cabinet and a bag of cotton from the first aid box. ''I have no fresh milk at the moment, but this should be enough to quench his hunger for tonight, here.'' The old man said, not unkindly, and set down the honey on the counter.

He studied the old man's expression cautiously, searching for hidden malice, but just like his grandson, he found nothing but honesty there, so did his aura.

Nevertheless, there was no fault in being careful; he picked up the jar and after casting a silent spell to neutralise any dangerous substances in the honey, with practice easy, he opened the lid with one hand, dipped the cotton into the honey and then daubed it on Ichigo's tiny lips, which started licking at the sweet liquid hungrily.

''I thank you for your hospitality.'' He said, after Ichigo was full and fell into a restful sleep. ''We will not impose on you for too long, as soon the rain stop—''

''It would not stop.'' The old man cut him off.

''I beg your pardon?'' He inquired, giving the old man a puzzle look. Instead of answering, he only spread his arms wide and said ''Welcome to the Monsoon City'' in almost theatrical manner. ''It switch between drizzle and downpour, but this city never stop raining.'' He said, before he grabbed a kettle and filling it with water from the tap and set it down on the stove, switching on the fire.

''I never heard of this town before.'' He said more to himself.

''This city is quite small; it is understandable that you never hear it, if you do not mind the humidity, this city is a perfect for escape — oh, where are my manners? The name is Konrad Meyer, but just call me Konrad, Mister Meyer is my father.'' The old man — Konrad introduce himself. ''What is your name?''

''Kusugami Ryuusei'' He said, deciding to use the name of his great-grandson. It had been years since he was called by his 'real name', he doubted that he would respond to it. ''And this is,'' 'Ryuusei' paused; it had just occurred to him that he could not introduce Ichigo by his real name. His name was uncommon for a boy; it would give them away and made it easy for the Kurosaki and their allies to track them down, however, giving Ichigo random aliases without anything thought out felt like an insult to _his_ Ichigo; the protector prided his name as much as he prided his legacy.

Speaking about legacy, ''Taiga.'' 'Ryuusei' said finally, thinking about his dear, old acquaintance. A noble warrior and a man of great character with strong sense of personal responsibility, to be named after him was nothing but honour.

Konrad made a non-committal hum; both his aura and body language told him plainly that he did not believe the authenticity of the names 'Ryuusei' had given. 'I really am a bad liar.' He thought.

''Well then, 'Ryuusei'-san, rest here for the night, you can decide what to do tomorrow, here drink this, you must be famish.''

'Ryuusei' stared at the glass filled with dark red liquid Konrad had set down in front of him. The sweet, pungent stench wafting out of it made his teeth ached, and he swallowed hard. Before his mind could comprehend, he snatched the glass and drank its content.

As the warmth bloods made its way down his throat, he did not know how tired and drained, he was until he felt his energy began slowly to recover.

He set the glass down after he was done, and once he was out of his euphoria and realised what had just happened, he sent a look at the old man; half-surprise half-questioning.

''I have live long.'' Konrad stated.

''Ah,'' He nodded in understanding.

''Umm, excuse me...'' 'Ryuusei' used all his will power not to jump. How long had the boy been standing there? _!

Konrad turned his attention to his grandson. ''What is it Yue?''

''You should change your clothes too.'' The boy — Yue said, handing them a towel. ''I have prepare room for you to sleep, I put your change clothes there.'' Yue said, addressing him.

'Ryuusei' blinked. ''I — thank you.'' He inclined his head.

''You are welcome.'' Yue smiled. ''Now come, I will show you the room.'' He looked at Konrad, who nodded at him to go ahead, then, followed Yue through the same door he had entered a few moments ago. They climbed up a circular staircase and emerged into a meadow filled with flowers of various types, surrounded by mountains and forest in the distant. There were four mahogany doors were surrounding them — two standing side by side on the left; one was on the right, and the final door was five steps in front of them.

''Uh,'' 'Ryuusei' blinked, upon closer inspection, everything was just an optical illusion. Someone had used the walls in the place of a canvas and painted a _very_ realistic painting, making the narrow hallway seemed broader than it really was.

Yue ushered him into the lone door on the right side. A queen-size bed took out most of the space in the room, what was left of it was claimed by a small office desk that stood facing the window. The room was cleaned and comfortable; however, it was sterile from any humans' scent and lingering auras, whoever the owner of this room was, they had not using it in a long time.

He glanced at the boy who regarded the room with sombre looked, but when Yue turned to him, the bright smile returned to his face as if it never leaved. ''Well then, good night Sir, I pray you have a sweet dream.'' and with that, Yue closed the door behind him and 'Ryuusei' heard the door to the next room opened before being closed again.

'Ryuusei' put Ichigo — Taiga on the bed, and unwrapped the reiatsu-concealing cloak from around him; despite its useful capability it was not the most comfortable wardrobe one could wear for a long period of time, he was amazed that Ichigo could sleep peacefully in it. Ichigo's reiatsu immediately spilled out like a broken dam; he had no doubt that hollows had smelled it from miles away — in fact, 'Ryuusei' turned to the window; he could already heard their roared in the distant.

There would be no sleep for him tonight; good thing that he was used to it.

Settling himself down on the floor, he leaned his back against the bed and stared at the curtains covering the window until the night was passed and was replaced by sunrise — and yet, the rain kept falling still.

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><p><strong>Thank you very much for reading! *bowed gratefully*<strong>

**English is not my native language, my Deepest ****Apologies ****for any incorrect grammar and tenses you find. Please tell me what you think.**


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